Wes Wheless - The Expert's Privilege

”Expertise whisperer” Wes Wheless joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about turning corporate expertise into a solo consulting business. We talked about his new book, The Expert's Privilege, how corporate professionals can recognize transferable expertise, why visual IP helps consultants explain their work, and what to do before making the leap from employee to independent consultant.Chapters01:35 - From Corporate to Consulting03:48 - Pivoting Toward Solo Consultants06:16 - Daily Email, Authority, and Visual IP11:46 - The Expert's Privilege18:36 - Why Corporate Experts Undervalue Their Skills23:23 - Excavating Your Expertise27:18 - Finding Your Zone of Genius32:44 - From Self-Examination to Market Validation35:30 - What to Do Before You Leave Corporate40:22 - A Book Is FOR Someone44:23 - Writing the Book With Support52:06 - Launch Strategy and Early ResultsAbout WesWes Wheless is an "expertise whisperer," founder of Develop My IP, and creator of The Lightbulb, a daily email for corporates-turned-consultants.After two consecutive tech layoffs, Wes traded a 20-year corporate career spanning consulting, enterprise, and startups for a solo practice helping experts turn their knowledge into IP, frameworks, and "intellectual headshots."Wes holds business degrees from The Wharton School and Kellogg School of Management and lives in Seattle, Washington. The Expert's Privilege is his first book.LinksResources & Services: weswheless.comThe Expert's Privilege: wesbook.comBuy on Amazon: buywesbook.comThe Lightbulb email: lightbulbemail.comFen Druadin, Book Midwife: fendruadin.com ----Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in?You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem.You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business.On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down.That's what we'll tackle in this workshop.It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you.Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait.Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgsEnroll in Positioning For Soloists now »Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.